In the manufacture of ultra large scale integrated circuits, such as 4 megabit and up dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), it has been one prior art approach to use an inlaid, fully integrated wiring technology which is known in the integrated circuit manufacturing arts as "Dual Damascene" technology. This approach to ULSI electrical contact development is described in some detail in Cronin, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,006 and in an article by Carter W. Kaanta, et al. entitled "Dual Damascene: A ULSI Wiring Technology," IBM General Technology Division, Essex Junction, Vermont, VMIC Conference, Jun. 11-12, 1991, at pp. 144-152.
This Dual Damascene processing for etching troughs through insulating layers formed on silicon substrates utilizes, among other things, first and second successive etching steps in order to arrive at an ultimate trough and contact hole geometry within surrounding insulating layers formed on the surface of a silicon wafer. The first etch step forms the trough down to a controlled depth within the surface insulating layers. The second etch step extends the depth of the trough down to the active devices within the silicon substrate to form the contact hole. One disadvantage of using the above described Dual Damascene approach is that the photoresist etch mask required for the second etch step must be precisely aligned with respect to the trough opening formed by the first etch step. The requirement for precise alignment of the second etch mask imposes an upper threshold on the maximum achievable packing density, reliability and yields that can be reached using the above Dual Damascene process. In addition, present techniques do not allow the etch of the interconnect trough to be controlled independent of the etch of the stud or contact hole.
It is the solution to these problems to which the present invention is directed.